BIG GAME RECIPE: Cheese stuffed jalapenos, a cheesy treat to your Super Bowl party

This recipe gives you a chance to improve on the quality of classic football fare, taking typically deep-fried, or at least heavily breaded, Jalapeno Poppers and turn them into something a little more classy for that Super Bowl gathering.

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In this version, you can taste the fresh peppers, and the light cream cheese works fine with the chorizo.

If you decide to try them, be forewarned: Author Clifford A. Wright describes them as "dangerously good; I once made this recipe and ate half before any guests arrived."

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The book this recipe comes from, "Hot & Cheesy," is stuffed with delicious- (if not necessarily healthful-) sounding recipes. Wright won a James Beard Foundation/Kitchen Aid Cookbook of the Year Award with "A Mediterranean Feast."

This book includes several other truly interesting recipes, including Buckwheat Porridge with Milk and Cheese, Broccoli Stems Pistachio au Gratin, Jalapeno Chiles and Tomatoes with Boiled Cheese, and Spring Onions with Garrotxa Cheese.

And there are good recipes for many cheese classics, including a fried version of Jalapeno Poppers that he calls "Firecrackers."

STUFFED JALAPENOS WITH CHORIZO SAUSAGE

(Tested by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

12 fresh green jalapeno chilies

6 ounces cream cheese

6 ounces fresh Mexican-style chorizo sausage

Cut the chilies in half lengthwise with a small paring knife and remove the seeds. Stuff the chilies with the cream cheese and push a piece of chorizo into the cheese on top.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the chilies on a baking tray and bake until semi-soft, about 15 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Variation: Replace the chorizo sausage with half a slice of bacon wrapped around the jalapeno.

Makes 6 servings.

-- "Hot & Cheesy" by Clifford A. Wright (Wiley)

(Email Bob Batz Jr. at bbatz@post-gazette.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)